The Rainbow Trail - Grey, Zane

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Résumé :
The Rainbow Trail, also known as The Desert Crucible, is Western author Zane Grey's sequel to Riders of the Purple Sage. Originally published under the title The Rainbow Trail in 1915, it was re-edited and re-released in recent years as The Desert Crucible with the original manuscript that Grey submitted to publishers. The novel takes place ten years after events of Riders of the Purple Sage. The wall to Surprise Valley has broken, and Jane Withersteen is forced to choose between Lassiter's life and Fay Larkin's marriage to a Mormon. Both novels are notable for their protagonists' mild opposition to Mormon polygamy, but in The Rainbow Trail this theme is treated more explicitly. The plots of both books revolve around the victimization of women in the Mormon culture: events in Riders of the Purple Sage are centered on the struggle of a Mormon woman who sacrifices her wealth and social status to avoid becoming a junior wife of the head of a local church, while The Rainbow Trail contrasts the older Mormons with the rising generation of Mormon women who will not tolerate polygamy and Mormon men who do not seek it. The novel is the basis of a 1931 film of the same name. Frank McGrath, later of Wagon Train, made his acting debut in this film though his role is uncredited. (wikipedia.org)...

Biographie:
Pearl Zane Grey was an American author and dentist known for his novels and stories. He was born on January 31, 1872, in Zanesville, Ohio. He was the fourth son born to Alice Allie Josephine Zane and Lewis M. Gray. His mother was a Quaker immigrant whose forefather Robert Zane came to the American colonies in 1673. His father was a dentist. Grey studied dentistry from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his graduation in 1896. He got married to Lina Roth also known as Dolly in 1905. He had anger issues, depression and suffered mood swings which affected his life. And so, Grey spent most of his time away from the family, while Dolly managed his career and raised their three children. Their family moved to California in 1918 and settled in Altadena, California in 1920 in a home they named as Zane Grey Estate. Grey continued writing during 1930s and was in great depression. From 1925 to his death in 1939 he travelled away from his family exploring the unspoiled lands, particularly the islands of the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. He died on October 23, 1939, aged 67 at his home in Altadena, California due to heart attack.